Broken Rules Read online

  “Ok, great, now move your hand down her back, good, pull her closer, nice.” Alex kept shooting as they ran through their paces. To anyone who would eventually see these shots, they’d be hard pressed not to believe they were in love.

  “Ok, I think we’re good there. Guys, can we get the chaise moved in? I think we’re ready to go to that.” Kimberly walked off as Alex directed her crew, and again, hair and makeup people pounced. Marco came over to look at the monitor, or so Alex thought. Instead, he came to talk to her. Used to dealing with talent and needing to stroke their ego, Alex said immediately, “You guys look great together.”

  Marco smiled and chuckled, “That’s why they call it acting.” He winked and then asked, “Do you mind, may I look at the…” he pointed to the monitor.

  “Of course, of course, please.” She gestured.

  “Gracias.” He smiled again. Alex knew it was his job to be charming, but it was working on her. When he came back over to Alex, the chaise was just being put into place. He looked at it and then back at Alex and leaned closely so that only she could hear him say, “For this next setup, on the chaise, when I caress her, I’m going to imagine it’s you.” he stepped back and grinned as he saw Alex blush and then for good measure, winked as he strode back onto set.

  Again, Alex had to clear her throat to find her voice. She’d had actors flirt with her in the past and always just chalked it up to them needing everyone to love them. But somehow, this felt different. She knew not to put any stock into it at all. She was flattered. He was eight years younger than her and had his pick of Hollywood bombshells to flirt with. As she thought of that, she pulled herself back into reality. He’s an actor, Alex. He’s acting. That’s what they do…

  “All right, Kimberly, if you’re ready, we’ll get started with this setup and then…”

  “I’m right here. Of course I’m ready.” Kimberly snapped back. God, this woman really was a piece of work.

  “Great!” Alex said through gritted teeth and a forced smile, which made Marco chuckle again. At least he had a sense of humor, Alex thought. “Ok, Marco if you could lie on your back, let your right leg fall to the floor, perfect. And Kimberly, you’re going to lie on top of him, great,” Alex started shooting. She was going to direct Marco to start caressing Kimberly’s back or her face or her ass, but she didn’t need to tell him to do any of that. She did however need to direct Kimberly, “Ok, now Kimberly, pull your dress up a little so you can straddle him.” As soon as she said that, Marco turned his head and looked right at Alex and grinned. Damn if she didn’t blush again but she got the shot of him looking devilishly to camera as Kimberly looked down at him.

  Then she moved them so that Kimberly was lying down on the chaise, one of her legs on the ground, her arms above her head, like she was waiting for him. “Marco stand at the end of the chaise, with your hands in your pockets, like you’re imagining all the naughty things you’re about to do to her.” Even Alex couldn’t believe that was the way she said it. Again, he looked to camera, his head down a bit, and cocked to the side, Alex caught that, it was a great shot. Then Marco did what she had asked, and then started moving onto the chaise, slowly so Alex could get each pose. He looked so sleek and graceful, but also so predatory. Kimberly, as much of a bitch as she was, was a good actress. Her expression was one of expectation and longing. They were supposed to be playing a couple who had a steamy love affair that ended with her killing him in some jealous rage. She could imagine Kimberly doing that in real life. Probably why she was cast in the role, Alex thought.

  After a few more poses on the chaise, they were on to their final set-up which were individual portraits. Naturally, Kimberly went first. Alex asked for a range of expressions and emotions. When she was finished, Alex thanked her and Kimberly just gave Alex a tight smile then barked orders to her “people” and strode off the set, en masse.

  “Thanks for waiting, Marco. Ok, this is the last setup and then you’ll be a free man.”

  “I’m in no hurry. I’m enjoying watching you work, Alexandra.” God, Alex’s crew was going to give her so much shit for this after the shoot. They were all a bunch of young guys, and usually Alex was one of the guys with them. She knew they were eating this up.

  “Um, thank you, Marco.” Was all she could come up with. “So, like we did with Kimberly, we want to get a range of expressions. We can just cycle through them.” And they did. He gave her intense, angry, wistful, hopeful, and when she asked for a laugh, he said,

  “You’re going to have to make me, Alexandra.” There was something about the way he said this, it was like it was just the two of them and he was challenging her, but the way he said it was so damn sexy. His accent didn’t hurt either.

  “Ok, you and Kimberly looked to be very much in love.” He cracked up, giving a genuine hearty laugh.

  “Bien hecho, Alexandra.”

  “Gracias, Marco. Ok, I think that’s it. We’re all done for the night. I think we got everything we need, you both looked great. I’m sure you’re anxious to get to bed.” Marco’s eyebrows raised and he smiled, Alex quickly clarified, “It’s late, I’m sure you’re exhausted and want to get to sleep!”

  “Si, si, estoy cansado, pero it was a very nice way to end the evening. Gracias, Alexandra. I look forward to our next shoot together.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Not an air kiss like most of Hollywood. Alex could actually feel his lips on her cheek. That brief touch made her inhale so sharply, she knew he heard and felt it that he actually grabbed her arms, steadying her, which just made it worse. Better, but worse. “Cuidado, Alexandra.” He smiled. She knew she was flushed again, but there wasn’t much she could do about that.

  She managed a smile and said simply, “Thank you.”

  He turned and thanked the rest of the crew, “Thanks everyone for staying so late!” Then flashed a final grin at Alex and “Buenas noches. Sleep well, Alexandra.”

  “Igualmente, Marco.” Which just made him smile even bigger and laugh a bit as he walked off the set.

  The minute he was off the set, her crew started in, in sing-songy voices, “Hola, Marco! Eres muy guapo!” “Oh, Marco!” They all had a good laugh at Alex’s expense. They teased her in Spanish for the rest of the night as they broke down all their equipment. There wasn’t much she could do other than laugh with them and roll her eyes. The only one who didn’t participate in the teasing was Jesús. He was her first assistant and fiercely loyal to Alex.

  She met Jesús when she volunteered six years ago at an inner-city arts program for at-risk youths. Even back then, when he was only 16, he was a big, imposing figure, and looked like he could kill someone just with his bare hands. He didn’t say much, and his arms were covered with tattoos. Most people would have steered clear of him. But there was something in his eyes, there was an earnestness and sweetness to him. He would stay after class, always helping Alex clean up, and always walking her to her car. He showed an interest in the work that most of the other kids didn’t. Soon, Alex started inviting him to shoots, to the ones where she knew the client would be ok with having an observer, typically the lower-profile shoots. He started learning by watching and listening, and after the shoot was over, once everyone else had left, he’d pepper Alex with questions.

  When Jesús turned 18 and graduated high school, Alex hired him full time. They both knew that college wasn’t an option. His family barely had the money to feed him and his brothers and sisters. But hiring him wasn’t charity. Jesús was the hardest worker that Alex had. And quickly, he became the smartest and most valuable. He came to anticipate Alex’s every move, always ready with whatever lens she needed or quick to check exposure before she could even call for a check. They had developed a shorthand and an appreciation for each other. And Jesús was always very, very protective of Alex. He knew she was tough, but he also knew she was a woman and he had seen enough bad shit in his life to know that he never wanted anything bad to ever happen to Alex. He also knew that she took better
care of him than his own family ever could. And she took a chance on him and believed in him when no one else did. He treated her with the utmost respect, so when all the other guys were teasing her about Marco, he just kept his mouth shut and scowled, going about his work silently. He didn’t like their comments, but he knew if they pissed her off, she’d let them know. And if she did, he’d be right there to back her up and handle anyone who stepped over the line. No one did, and Alex laughed through it, but still Jesús didn’t have to like it.

  CHAPTER 2

  Alex processed out the entire shoot the next day and sent it to the agency. It was rare that an art director wasn’t at the shoot, but she had worked with Sam Davis for many, many years now and they both trusted each other. She knew that Sam was in France with her client / boyfriend Laurent Román, and that Steve, her CD was up to his eyes holding the fort down in her absence. Knowing that the shoot could very well go until the wee hours of the morning, which it did, Alex assured them that she could cover it without them there.

  One of the luxuries of not having to show up to an office was that after shoots like the one the previous night, or more accurately, that morning, Alex could catch up on her sleep once she delivered the files. Most photographers would have taken at least a day to recover before they went to the lab, but not Alex. She was a perfectionist and always did what was best for the job. Plus, even if she had tried to sleep first, worry and guilt would have kept her from getting any rest. So there was no point in putting it off. The sooner she had the files done, the sooner she could rest. Plus, she had given Sam and Steve her word and would never want anyone to question it.

  When she got the drive home after sending a copy to the agency, she popped it in to look at the whole shoot once more. Obviously, she had looked at the lab to make sure it came out to her liking, but there, she was only looking at it with a technical eye. When she got it home, she wanted to look at one thing in particular, or more accurately, one man. She pulled the shoot up on her laptop and started scrolling through. He was gorgeous, and by the looks of it, a damn good actor, because she knew there was no love between these two. But to anyone else, this couple was hot and heavy in love, or at least lust. Alex’s favorite frames were the couple where Marco looked right into the camera when he was supposed to be looking at Kimberly. Alex knew those would be going into her book. Hell, she wanted to put them on her laptop as her screensaver… she’d just need to crop off Kimberly’s head first.

  As she was clicking through, her phone rang. It was her rep Kara. Alex had resisted having a rep for a long time, but in the end, it made better business sense. She got more jobs with a rep and didn’t have to hustle herself. Plus, Kara typically had to deal with all the crap, like billing, which left Alex free to just shoot. The only way it worked was because Kara wasn’t like most reps. She was sincere and honest and a genuinely lovely person. Alex considered her a friend.

  “Hey there, Kara.” Alex answered, always happy to hear from her.

  “Hey there yourself. I’d ask you how the shoot went, but I think I already know.”

  That couldn’t be good, “Uh oh, what happened. Did that cow Kimberly Cook complain?”

  “Why do you always fear the worst?” Kara chuckled.

  “Old habits?”

  “Well, it’s good news. Apparently, Marco Flores quite liked working with you. Vanity Fair’s doing an article on him, his story about his rise to fame, and he just told them the only way he’ll do the story is if you’re the photographer. He’s going to be the cover story, Alex! Looks like someone made quite an impression!” Kara was giddy.

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “Honey, I never kid about business. You know that. And based on the fact that both the magazine and his rep have called me in the last half hour, I’d say, it’s pretty much a lock.”

  “Holy crap! That’s fantastic, Kara!” Alex was now giddy too.

  “I know! Ok, so tell me, is he as hot in person as he is pictures?” Alex could hear Kara smiling. Kara was much more of a girly girl than Alex, though that wasn’t hard to be.

  “More. Oh my god, Kara, you know me, I’ve shot a lot of pretty boys, right?”

  “Mmmhmmm, that you have.”

  “I’m telling you, this guy, he’s the whole package. He’s drop dead gorgeous and he’s charming and funny. Oh God, I’ve just officially become a cougar.”

  Kara started cracking up, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m pretty sure you have to be over 40 to be one. Besides, he doesn’t know how old you are.”

  “No, Kara, what you’re supposed to say is ‘Besides, Alex, it doesn’t matter cause you’re not dating him, you’re shooting him.’ Speaking of which, when’s the shoot?”

  “Um, yeah, here’s the thing…” Alex knew that tone. She knew it wasn’t good.

  “Kara!”

  “The first part of it is this weekend, at his place here…” Kara trailed off.

  “Kara, would you just spit it out, what’s the big deal about that” Now Alex was getting a little testy. She liked direct, and Kara never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings or say anything that might upset anyone, which just prolonged the inevitable.

  “The second part is at the end of next week in his home town… in the Galapagos Islands.” There was a long pause. “You’ll need to take a small plane once you get to Ecuador.” This time, there was an even longer pause.

  Alex lost both of her parents in a small plane crash when she was16. Ever since then, she hated flying, period, but given that she was a photographer, not flying at all would have put her out of business. However, she drew the line at small planes, and given that most shoots were in major cities, she had gotten by without ever having to fly on anything less than a ‘real’ plane.

  “Alex, look honey, I didn’t even want to ask, but it’s Vanity Fair, and it’s the cover. You know you can say no, but I had to at least tell you about it.”

  “I know Kara, I know. I just need a minute. How long do I have before you need to give them an answer?”

  “Not long. They need to know now since the first part is this weekend. If you say no, they have to book someone else asap. And they had Tony Boden on it originally. They pulled him off and he’s furious. Says he’ll never work with them again, so they’ve already burned that bridge.”

  “Well hell, that’s not my fault! They should have waited till I accepted the damn offer!” Alex lashed out, though Kara knew enough to know it wasn’t at her, it was at the situation.

  “Alex, they’re not used to being said no to. I don’t think they have any inkling that there’s even a chance the answer would be anything other than ‘yes’.”

  “I get it, I do. Listen, can you just buy me an hour? Please? Tell them you left me a message but I had a really late shoot and am probably asleep. Ok? I just need to think for a moment. I promise I’ll call you back in an hour, ok?”

  “Sure, honey. I’ll talk with you in a bit.” And with that they said their goodbyes and hung up. Alex knew that it would be idiotic to say no to this. Vanity Fair basically used one photographer for its covers for the last 20 or more years. It was a huge opportunity. And with the field being what it was, if she said no to this, it wouldn’t just be turning this job down. It was such a small industry that word would spread quickly. No one wanted to work with anyone who said no. Not to mention the industry was so damn incestuous, people on this shoot would end up on a shoot down the line. Alex could torpedo her career by saying no. And she knew the odds. Millions of people flew on small planes all the time. The odds were in her favor that nothing bad would happen.

  Alex went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. As if on cue, Tabitha came prancing in with a gift for Alex. She dropped her freshly killed lizard at Alex’s feet. There was something about this lizard, it looked more prehistoric than most. And Tabitha wasn’t eating it, she just looked up at Alex and meowed making it clear that it truly was a present for her. Before Alex could deal with the lizard, she went to her com
puter to see just what type of flight she’d be taking. She pulled up information and history of the islands and just shook her head when she saw that they were home to a large population of iguanas. Sam didn’t believe in signs, but whatever it was that Tabitha just brought her looked an awful lot like a tiny iguana. Even if she did believe in signs, she had no idea if this was a good or a bad one. The thing was dead, so that’s bad. But it was a present… so that’s good? Come on, Alex, you’re going base your answer on what your stray cat just dropped at your feet?

  Alex knew the answer had to be yes. She knew there was nothing to think about. She went back to the bathroom, cleaned up her present and then called Kara.

  The minute Kara answered, Alex simply said, “Yes.”

  “Yes, as in yes, you’ll do the shoot!?!?” Kara practically leapt through the phone.

  “Yes, Kara. I’m in.” Alex said with a lot less excitement than Kara had.

  “Oh my god, Alex!! This is so great! Ok, let me go call them and officially accept,”

  “What do you mean, ‘officially’, Kara? Did you already ‘unofficially’ accept?” Alex was rolling her eyes and smiling. She couldn’t really be mad at Kara, especially when Kara was so damn excitable.

  “Maybe?” she giggled.

  “Ok, call them and then call me back so we can go over all the details.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Alex arrived at Marco’s house Saturday morning at 8. He was renting a stunning tri-level home in the Hollywood Hills.

  The shoot wasn’t to start until 10, but Alex needed to get a lay of the land, see where she wanted to shoot Marco, and then have some time to set up lighting. She had also talked with the writer to get a sense of what she was looking for from the piece. It was a story about Marco’s rise to fame starting with his humble beginnings, how he was discovered, and who he is now that he’s suddenly Hollywood’s “It Guy”.